Â
Article Date: 06 Aug 2010 – 2:00 PDT
Today, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is proud to announce the release of the new Parents’ Medication Guide for Bipolar Disorder in Children & Adolescents.
The guide was developed by AACAP to give reliable information about medication used to treat bipolar disorder in children and adolescents to parents whose children have been diagnosed with the illness.
“It is not yet clear how many children and adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder will continue to have the disorder as adults. What is very clear is that obtaining a careful clinical assessment is utmost and critical to diagnosing bipolar disorder,” advised Larry Greenhill, M.D., President, AACAP.
The guide reflects what medications child psychiatrists currently use when treating bipolar disorder during childhood and adolescence. It is intended to provide parents with the latest expert medical opinion about medications used to treat the symptoms of bipolar disorder.
“Medication decisions for children with bipolar disorder are complex and difficult for many parents,” said Susan Resko, Executive Director Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation. “AACAP’s Parents’ Medication Guide for Bipolar Disorder in Children & Adolescents compiles the very best information and helps parents decipher the daunting decision-making process. I consider it required reading for any parent of a child with bipolar disorder.”
For most children and adolescents with bipolar disorder, medication can be a helpful and important component of treatment. However, intervention is most effective when the signs and symptoms are recognized as early as possible, and when treatment is comprehensive, ongoing, and individualized to the needs of the child and his or her family.
For more information about the Parents’ Medication Guide series of publications, please visit www.parentsmedguide.org/.
Source: American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)